The present invention relates to a color moving picture television telephone which performs bidirectional simultaneous communication of voice, moving picture and data in real time, making use of a high speed digital communication network, especially to a combination type television telephone including a picture or video codec (coder-decoder) and a communication control circuit.
A color movable picture television telephone apparatus of a prior arrangement has a large video codec unit which is provided separately from the television telephone body, and both are connected by a cable. Also, a camera and a display are fixed to the body generally with the camera unit being fixed to the body and directed only toward a specific direction such that free adjustment of direction is not provided.
Also, the prior apparatus is not adapted for special application, such as transmission of a document and picture, and the camera is normally applied to take a photograph of personal figures. When taking a photograph of other than personal figures, the prior apparatus is not provided with a construction, such as stand etc., for supporting a camera with the camera being freely removed by itself. Further, there is an apparatus having a construction providing a plane mirror in front of the camera so as to take a photograph of documents and pictures with documents or pictures being set on a platform (bottom part), but the camera has an integrated construction with a display. Fujitsu technical report 41. 3, pp. 243-247 (May, 1990 edition) and Japanese patent application No. 2-39790 as well as Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2-22989, for example, are representative of disclosures of such apparatus.
Also, as a technique for improving man-machine interface of a color moving picture television telephone terminal in the prior art, the realizing of an operation supporting function using message indication function is disclosed in the "International Communication Research No. 135 (January 1988) page 33, clause 4.1, item 5, issued by the foundation KDD engineering and consulting. Also, the changing of a dip switch or a jumper plug is carried out to adapt for the system registration and setting and realization of a maintenance function, as described in page 34, clause 4.2 of the above literature.
In the prior art as above described, there are problems that mobility and portability are not considered, and the phase of installation of the apparatus is limited and movement is difficult. Moreover, many cables are connected to the body, so that the use as a terminal apparatus is not convenient.
Further, when document information such as documents or photographs is transferred, since documents are held up by hand in front of a camera to take a photograph in accordance with the set position of the camera direction at the time of conversation, stable transmission of characters with good fineness is not possible because of movement of the document due to hand vibration or the like. Moreover, concerning a television telephone having a looking-down construction at the camera unit, since the camera unit is simply directed downwards, the document must be set reversely in the longitudinal direction with respect to the direction viewed by the sender. Therefore, there is a problem in that a sender can not identify the document simultaneously and naturally. Moreover, with regard to an adjustment mechanism for the heights and angles of the camera display of the body, there is only one movable point between the body and the camera display. Therefore, there is a problem in that arbitrary heights and angles can not be set. Further, the camera unit is always directed to the user side, and even when pictures are not desired to be sent (e.g., used as digital telephone), the camera by its construction is operational and thus there is a problem that an image of being watched cannot be removed.
In a picture/voice multiplex transmission mode, a transferring rate of each source signal is fixed and only data of certain quality of a voice or a picture can be transferred. Further, there is no external input/output function as a multi-media terminal including all signals of voice, picture and data, with only a function as a television telephone terminal, thereby lacking in extendibility. Also, the function as a television telephone terminal always accompanied by picture transmission is merely realized, not by communication control which can be used as a mere digital telephone terminal, and selection of a particular function among many functions is lacking.
Additionally, at the color moving picture television terminal in the prior art, firstly, since communication between terminals of the same kind or the same product is only considered, and since many register and setting items necessary for the color moving picture television telephone terminal are almost all previously registered and set in the terminal, it is therefore hardly necessary that the user frequently register and change the communication mode or the operation of the color moving picture television telephone terminal. However, according to the various developments in the technique and the standardizing activity, the color moving picture television telephone terminal can be connected to a conventional analog telephone, a digital telephone using digital communication lines, various kinds of television telephone terminals and teleconference terminals, each having many different register and setting items, so many register and setting items. Secondly, it is necessary to consider security and concealment in the setting and register operations from the status of communication terminals. Thirdly, television telephones or television telephone operating members are used in many cases by being placed on desks, and therefore depending on the use condition the dimensions of the operating members carrying out the man-machine interfaces are somewhat limited, and the numbers of input keys and dimensions of the keys are subjected to the consideration of manipulatability. Fourthly, the operating members of television telephones are required to be man-machine interfaces similar to operating methods for conventional analog telephones due to the status of telephones, and in order to provide users with increased multiple functions comparing to conventional analog telephones without confusion, it is necessary to provide standardized man-machine interfaces. Fifthly, the numbers and domains of characters and figures (pictures) which can be indicated on the display are finite, and the characters and figures are indicated on moving pictures with multiplication at the time of picture reception and at the time of monitor indication, and therefore it is necessary to consider the positions of indication and the multiplying method. Sixthly, for the transmission timing of pictures, privacy and security must be considered, and it is necessary to reflect the intentions of the users in each communication.